Chicago sues corrupt contractor

Anyone who has ever decided to have some home construction or remodeling done knows the problems that can come along with trying to hire the right contractor. Having someone enter your home or business is always risky, and in many cases reputation and clout can weigh heavily in the decision process. However, word of mouth may not be giving you the whole story.

According to a recent Chicago Sun-Times article, the city is currently looking to recover more than $1.4 million from a corrupt contractor that falsified contract paperwork. The report focuses on Robert Blum, the owner and operator of the now-out-of-business Castle Construction Company.

This all stems from shady dealings that were uncovered in 2011, when it was alleged that Blum said he subcontracted out to minority and women-owned businesses to perform work as part of a contract it won to reconstruct parts of O'Hare Airport.

The problem is that these businesses that were subcontracted did little of the actual work and were paid only a pittance of what they were actually owed.

"False representations and claims enabled Castle to bid for and receive lucrative city contracts," city officials said in the suit.

Blum had a solid reputation and pull with political leaders after constructing several of the city's police stations. He was also reportedly close friends with Christopher Kelly, a top advisor and campaign fundraiser for corrupt former governor Rod Blagojevich.

Running a background check or doing a people search with the help of Radaris can help weed out the bad eggs and find quality contractors.